Mincer

ABSTRACT

A mincer includes a housing, a hinged door, a handle, a cam, an axle, and a plurality of circular blades mounted on the axle. Rotation of the handle or knob with respect to the housing causes rotation of the cam with respect to the housing, which in turn causes the axle and the blades mounted thereon to travel radially outward or inward with respect to the housing to extend or retract the blades out of or into the housing. The mincer can be operated to extend the blades for operation and to retract the blades for storage. The door can be closed for operation and opened for cleaning of the mincer.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure is directed generally to mincers, and moreparticularly to mincers having rolling blades to quickly mince edibleitems.

Description of the Related Art

A wide variety of mincers are currently commercially available. Manymincers are provided with a plurality of rolling blades that allow auser to quickly mince edible items. These mincers often mount therolling blades within a housing, with a portion of the blades exposedfrom the housing to allow them to engage with the items to be minced.Thus, these mincers are often also provided with a cap or cover that canbe coupled to the housing to enclose the portion of the blades externalto the housing for safety when the mincer is not in use, such as duringstorage, and that can be removed from the housing to expose the bladesfor use. Such caps or cover components add complexity, require cleaning,and may break or be lost over time.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A mincer may be summarized as comprising: a first plate including afirst linear slot that extends linearly through the first plate; asecond plate including a first arcuate slot that extends along a firstarcuate path through the second plate; an axle that extends through thefirst linear slot and through the first arcuate slot such that rotationof the second plate with respect to the first plate causes the axle tomove through the first linear slot and linearly with respect to thefirst plate; and a circular blade mounted on the axle.

The first arcuate path of the second plate may extend from a firstlocation proximate a center of the second plate to a second locationproximate an outer peripheral edge of the second plate. The firstarcuate slot may extend along a path forming a portion of a circle. Thecircle may have a center offset from a center of the second plate. Thefirst plate may be a cylindrical plate and the second plate may be a camplate. The mincer may further comprise: a third plate including a secondlinear slot that extends linearly through the third plate, the thirdplate rigidly coupled to and aligned with the first plate; and a fourthplate including a second arcuate slot that extends along a secondarcuate path through the fourth plate, the fourth plate rigidly coupledto and aligned with the second plate; wherein the axle extends throughthe second linear slot and through the second arcuate slot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a mincer, according to at leastone illustrated implementation.

FIG. 2 illustrates another perspective view of the mincer of FIG. 1,according to at least one illustrated implementation.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded view of the mincer of FIGS. 1 and 2 froma first perspective, according to at least one illustratedimplementation.

FIG. 4 illustrates another exploded view of the mincer of FIGS. 1 and 2from a second perspective, according to at least one illustratedimplementation.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the mincer of FIGS. 1 and 2 in a firstconfiguration, with some internal features illustrated in dashed lines,according to at least one illustrated implementation.

FIG. 6 illustrates an end view of the mincer of FIGS. 1 and 2 in thefirst configuration, according to at least one illustratedimplementation.

FIG. 7 illustrates a side view of the mincer of FIGS. 1 and 2 in asecond configuration, with some internal features illustrated in dashedlines, according to at least one illustrated implementation.

FIG. 8 illustrates an end view of the mincer of FIGS. 1 and 2 in thesecond configuration, according to at least one illustratedimplementation.

FIG. 9 illustrates a side view of the mincer of FIGS. 1 and 2 in a thirdconfiguration, with some internal features illustrated in dashed lines,according to at least one illustrated implementation.

FIG. 10 illustrates an end view of the mincer of FIGS. 1 and 2 in thethird configuration, according to at least one illustratedimplementation.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of the mincer of FIGS. 1 and 2with a housing of the mincer open, according to at least one illustratedimplementation.

FIG. 12 illustrates a side view of the mincer of FIGS. 1 and 2 with ahousing of the mincer open, according to at least one illustratedimplementation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosedimplementations. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognizethat implementations may be practiced without one or more of thesespecific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. Inother instances, well-known structures associated with the technologyhave not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring descriptions of the implementations.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a mincer 100 in a first, closedconfiguration, in which the blades of the mincer 100 are completelyretracted within a housing 102 of the mincer 100. FIG. 2 illustrates adifferent perspective view of the mincer 100 in the closedconfiguration. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the mincer 100 includesseveral external components, including the housing 102, a door 104 thatis coupled to the housing 102 by a hinge, a static side cap 106 that iscoupled to the housing 102 by a snap-fit connection, and an actuator,which can be referred to as a knob or handle 108, which is rotatablycoupled to the housing 102 by a snap-fit connection.

The mincer 100 is a hand-held device and is dimensioned such that itfits comfortably in a typical human hand. In use, the static side cap106 is fixed and stationary with respect to the housing 102. The door104 is rotatable with respect to the housing 102 about an axis 110defined by its hinged connection to the housing 102. The handle 108 isrotatable with respect to the housing 102 such that the user can rotatethe handle 108 in a first direction with respect to the housing 102 toextend the blades of the mincer 100, and in a second direction withrespect to the housing 102, opposite the first direction, to retract theblades of the mincer 100 into the housing 102.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate each of the components of the mincer 100 inexploded views, from first and second perspectives, respectively. Asillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the housing 102 includes a first sideplate 112 and a second side plate 114, each of the two side plates 112and 114 having an overall shape comprising a cylindrical disc. The firstdisk-shaped side plate 112 includes a circular opening 116 at itscenter, which extends along a central longitudinal axis of thecylindrical disk shape of the side plate 112. The second disk-shapedside plate 114 includes a circular opening 118 at its center, whichextends along a central longitudinal axis of the cylindrical disk shapeof the side plate 114. The first side plate 112 also includes a slot 120that extends through a thickness of the side plate 112 and radially withrespect to the cylindrical disk shape of the side plate 112, from afirst location proximate the opening 116 to a second location proximatean outer peripheral edge of the side plate 112. The second side plate114 also includes a slot 122 that extends through a thickness of theside plate 114 and radially with respect to the cylindrical disk shapeof the side plate 114, from a first location proximate the opening 118to a second location proximate an outer peripheral edge of the sideplate 114.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, an outer peripheral edge of the firstside plate 112 has the same dimensions as an outer peripheral edge ofthe second side plate 114 and the opening 116 and slot 120 in the firstside plate 112 have the same dimensions as the opening 118 and slot 122in the second side plate 114. Further, the first and second side plates112, 114 are aligned with one another such that a central longitudinalaxis of the first side plate 112 is coincident with a centrallongitudinal axis of the second side plate 114, such that the plates112, 114 extend parallel to one another, and such that the opening 116and slot 120 in the first side plate 112 are aligned with the opening118 and slot 122 in the second side plate 114 when the housing 102 isviewed along the common central longitudinal axes of the side plates112, 114.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the opening 116 at the center of the firstside plate 112 includes a pair of notches 124 a and 124 b that extendradially outward from the overall circular shape of the opening 116. Thetwo notches 124 a, 124 b are located opposite the slot 120 with respectto the opening 116, and are positioned so they are symmetrical withrespect to a central radial axis of the slot 120. The two notches 124 a,124 b are separated from one another by 120° along the outer peripheryof the circular opening 116. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the side plate114 includes another slot 126, located proximate the outer peripheraledge of the plate 114, that extends through the thickness of the sideplate 114 and circumferentially with respect to the cylindrical diskshape of the side plate 114, that is, at a constant distance from theopening 118 at the center of the plate 114 and at a constant distancefrom the outer peripheral edge of the plate 114. The slot 126 is locatedopposite the slot 122 with respect to the opening 118, and issymmetrical with respect to a central radial axis of the slot 122. Thecircumferential slot 126 extends along 120° about the opening 118.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the housing 102 also includes an outershell 128 that couples the two side plates 112 and 114 to one another.The outer shell 128 has an overall shape that approximates one half(e.g., 180°) of a hollow cylindrical body, with one end of the outershell 128 coupled a portion (e.g., about) 180° of the outer periphery ofthe side plate 112 and an opposite end of the outer shell 128 coupled aportion (e.g., about 180°) of the outer periphery of the side plate 114.The outer shell 128 includes a notch 130 extending into a side of theouter shell 128 that extends between the side plates 112, 114, as wellas a pair of apertures 132 that share a common central longitudinal axisthat extends through the notch 130, such that the apertures 132 and theportions of the outer shell 128 surrounding the apertures 132 form twoknuckles for a hinged connection to the door 104.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the door 104 has an overall shape thatapproximates one half (e.g., 180°) of a hollow cylindrical body, withone end 134 of the door 104 configured to engage and mate with a portion(e.g., about 180°) of the outer periphery of the side plate 112 and anopposite end 136 of the door 104 configured to engage and mate with aportion (e.g., about 180°) of the outer periphery of the side plate 114.The door 104 includes four slots 148 that each extend circumferentiallyacross a width of the door 104 in a direction aligned from a first side142 of the door 104 to a second side 144 of the door 104 opposite to thefirst side 142 of the door 104. Each of the slots 148 is configured toallow a blade to extend therethrough, from within the housing 102 tooutside of the mincer 100. The second side 144 of the door 104 isconfigured to engage with a side of the outer shell 128 opposite itsnotch 130 to close the housing 102.

The door 104 includes a protrusion 138 extending from the first side 142of the door 104. The protrusion 138 includes an aperture 140 extendingtherethrough in a direction parallel to the apertures 132, such that theaperture 140 and the portion of the protrusion 138 surrounding theaperture 140 form a knuckle for a hinged connection to the housing 102.The protrusion 138 is configured to be positioned within the notch 130to allow a dowel or pin 146 to pass through both of the apertures 132and the aperture 140 to couple the knuckles of the housing 102 to theknuckle of the door 104, and the create a hinged connection between thehousing 102 and the door 104.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the static side cap 106 includes acircular disk that can be clipped, snap-fit, or welded on to an externalsurface of the side plate 112 of the housing 102 to cover the opening116, slot 120, and other internal components of the mincer 100. Thehandle 108 has an overall shape comprising a circular disk, and can beclipped or snap-fit on to an external surface of the side plate 114 ofthe housing 102 to cover the opening 118, slot 122, and other internalcomponents of the mincer 100. The handle 108 includes an externalsurface 150 that is contoured to allow a user to easily grasp andmanipulate the handle 108 with respect to the housing 102. The staticside cap 106 and the handle 108 are aligned with one another and arealigned with the side plates 112 and 114 of the housing 102 such that acentral longitudinal axis of the static side cap 106 is coincident witha central longitudinal axis of the handle 108, and coincident with thecentral longitudinal axes of the two side plates 112 and 114.

The handle 108 includes a cruciform-shaped post 154 extendinglongitudinally inward from a center of an inner surface 152 of thehandle 108 facing toward the housing 102. The handle 108 also includes acylindrical and circular-shaped post 156 extending longitudinally inwardtoward the housing 102 from a portion of the inner surface 152 of thehandle 108 located proximate an outer peripheral edge of the innersurface of the handle 108. The radial location of the cylindrical post156 with respect to a central longitudinal axis of the handle 108matches the radial location of the circumferential slot 126 with respectto a central longitudinal axis of the side plate 114, such that the post156 fits into and slides through the circumferential slot 126 when themincer 100 is assembled and in use.

FIGS. 3 and 4 also illustrate that the mincer 100 includes a cam 158.The cam 158 includes a first cam plate 160, a second cam plate 162, anda bridge element 164 that rigidly couples the first cam plate 160 andthe second cam plate 162 to one another. Each of the two cam plates 160and 162 have an overall shape comprising a cylindrical disc. The firstdisk-shaped cam plate 160 includes a circular boss 166 at its center,which extends longitudinally outward toward the static side cap 106along a central longitudinal axis of the cam plate 160 and, when themincer 100 is in use, is seated within the opening 116 in the side plate112 of the housing 102, to translationally lock the cam plate 160 withrespect to the side plate 112 and allow the cam plate 160 to rotate withrespect to the side plate 112. The second disk-shaped cam plate 162includes a circular boss 168 at its center, which extends longitudinallyoutward toward the handle 108 along a central longitudinal axis of thecam plate 162 and, when the mincer 100 is in use, is seated within theopening 118 in the side plate 114 of the housing 102, to translationallylock the cam plate 162 with respect to the side plate 114 and allow thecam plate 162 to rotate with respect to the side plate 114.

The first cam plate 160 also includes a slot 170 that extends through athickness of the cam plate 160 and along an arcuate and semi-circularpath from a first location proximate the boss 166 to a second locationproximate an outer peripheral edge of the cam plate 160. The second camplate 162 also includes a slot 172 that extends through a thickness ofthe cam plate 162 and along an arcuate and semi-circular path from afirst location proximate the boss 168 to a second location proximate anouter peripheral edge of the cam plate 162. The slots 170 and 172 extendalong semi-circular paths, or paths that follow or that form 159.8° of afull circle between their respective first and second locations. Theslots 170 and 172 extend along semi-circular paths that form a portionof a full circle having a center offset from the central longitudinalaxis of the respective cam plate 160, 162 and of the respective sideplate 112, 114.

An outer peripheral edge of the first cam plate 160 has the samedimensions as an outer peripheral edge of the second cam plate 162 andthe boss 166 and slot 170 in the first cam plate 160 have the samedimensions as the boss 168 and slot 172 in the second cam plate 162.Further, the first and second cam plates 160, 162 are aligned with oneanother such that a central longitudinal axis of the first cam plate 160is coincident with a central longitudinal axis of the second cam plate162, such that the plates 160, 162 extend parallel to one another, andsuch that the boss 160 and slot 170 in the first cam plate 160 arealigned with the boss 162 and slot 172 in the second cam plate 162 whenthe cam plates 160, 162 are viewed along their common centrallongitudinal axes.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the boss 166 at the center of the first camplate 160 includes a ridge 174 that extends radially outward from theoverall circular shape of the boss 166. The ridge 174 is positioned onthe boss 166 to function as a detent by fitting into one of the notches124 a, 124 b when the handle 108 reaches either end of its range ofmotion (i.e., by fitting into the notch 124 a when a user turns thehandle 108 all the way in a first direction to fully extend the blades182 and by fitting into the notch 124 b when the user turns the handle108 all the way in a second direction opposite to the first direction tofully retract the blades 182). The ridge 174 therefore provides tactilefeedback to the user by signaling that the handle 108 has reached theend of its range of travel when the ridge 174 engages one of the notches124 a, 124 b, and by resisting initiation of movement of the handle 108away from either end of its range of travel.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the boss 168 at the center of the second camplate 162 includes cruciform-shaped grooves 176 that face longitudinallyoutward from the cam plate 162 and toward the handle 108. The cruciformshape of the grooves 176 is complementary to the cruciform shape of thepost 154 such that a distal end of the post 154 can be seated within thegrooves 176 so that the handle 108 is rotationally locked about itscentral longitudinal axis with respect to the cam 158. FIG. 4 alsoillustrates that the cam plate 162 includes an opening 178 near an outerperipheral edge thereof. The radial location of the opening 178 withrespect to a central longitudinal axis of the cam plate 162 matches theradial location of the cylindrical post 156 with respect to a centrallongitudinal axis of the handle 108 and the radial location of thecircumferential slot 126 with respect to a central longitudinal axis ofthe side plate 114, such that the post 156 fits through thecircumferential slot 126 and into the opening 178 so that the handle 108is further rotationally locked about its central longitudinal axis withrespect to the cam 158.

FIGS. 3 and 4 also illustrate that the mincer 100 includes a central pinor axle 180 and a plurality of blades 182 and a plurality of bladespacers or bushings 184 that are mounted to rotate freely on the axle180 when the mincer 100 is assembled and in use. In particular, themincer 100 includes four distinct blades 182 that are mounted to rotateindependently on the axle 180 and five blade bushings 184 mountedbetween each adjacent pair of the blades 182 and at either end of theset of four blades 182. When the mincer 100 is assembled and in use, theblades 182 and blade bushings 184 are mounted to rotate freely andindependently on the axle 180, and the blades 182 and blade bushings 184alternate with one another along a length of the axle 180.

To assemble the mincer 100 from a completely disassembled state, the cam158 is positioned within, e.g., snap-fit into, the housing 102 such thatthe boss 166 is positioned within the opening 116, the boss 168 ispositioned within the opening 118, and the ridge 174 is positionedwithin the notch 124 b, so that the cam 158 cannot translate withrespect to the housing 102 but can rotate with respect to the housing102 about the central longitudinal axes of the disk-shaped plates 112,114, 160, and 162, which are coincident with one another, and so thatthe mincer is assembled to initially hold the blades 182 in theretracted configuration. Next, the axle 180 is extended through the slot120 in the side plate 112, through the arcuate slot 170 in the cam plate160, through the blades 182 and blade bushings 184, through the arcuateslot 172 in the cam plate 162, and through the slot 122 in the sideplate 114, so that the blades are confined to rotate about the axle 180and so that the axle 180 is confined to travel through the slots 120,170, 172, and 122. Next, the static side cap 106 is clipped, snap-fit,or welded onto the housing 102 to cover internal components of themincer 100. Further, the handle 108 is clipped or snap-fit onto thehousing 102 to cover internal components of the mincer 100, such thatthe cylindrical post 158 extends through the slot 126 and into theopening 178, and such that the distal end portion of the cruciform post154 is engaged with the cruciform-shaped grooves 176 of the boss 168, sothat the handle 108 is rotationally locked to the cam 158. Next, theprotrusion 138 of the door 104 is positioned within the notch 130 withthe apertures 132 and 140 aligned with one another and the pin 146 ispositioned through the apertures 132 and 140 to form a hinge between thehousing 102 and the door 104. Finally, the door 104 is rotated about thehinge into a closed position in which the second side 144 of the door104 is engaged with a side of the outer shell 128 opposite its notch 130and the housing 102 is closed.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate the mincer 100 in its initial, fully assembledconfiguration, with its blades 182 fully retracted. Once the mincer 100is fully assembled, a user can begin to operate the mincer 100 byholding the housing 102 in one hand, holding the handle 108 in the otherhand, and rotating the handle 108 about its own central longitudinalaxis with respect to the housing 102. In doing so, the user initiallyovercomes a resistance provided by the engagement of the ridge 174 withthe notch 124 b, which provides the user with tactile feedbackindicating that rotation of the handle 108 with respect to the housing102 has begun.

The engagement of the bosses 166, 168 of the cam 158 with the openings116, 118 of the housing 102 restrains and allows the cam 158 to rotateabout its own central longitudinal axis with respect to the housing 102.Thus, as the user turns the handle 108 with respect to the housing 102,the cylindrical post 156 travels through the slot 126 and the engagementof the cruciform-shaped post 154 with the cruciform-shaped grooves 176,as well as the engagement of the cylindrical post 156 with the opening178, causes the cam 158 to turn about its own central longitudinal axiswith respect to the housing 102, and therefore causes the arcuate slots170, 172 to rotate about a central longitudinal axis of the cam 158 withrespect to the radial slots 120, 122.

Further, as the slots 170, 172 turn about the central longitudinal axisof the cam 158 with respect to the slots 120, 122, the engagement of theaxle 180 within the slots 170, 172 of the cam 158, and within the slots120, 122 of the housing 102, causes the axle 180 to move outward alongthe central radial axes of the slots 120, 122 with respect to thehousing 102. In this sense, the cam 158, or the arcuate slots 170, 172thereof, or the peripheral edges of the arcuate slots 170, 172, can actas a cam, and the axle 180 can act as a corresponding cam follower. Asthe axle 180 moves outward along the central radial axes of the slots120, 122, the axle 180 carries the blades 182 with it, such that theblades 182 move from within the housing 102 to extend at least partiallythrough the slots 148, as shown in the configuration illustrated inFIGS. 7 and 8.

The user can continue to turn the handle 108 with respect to the housing102 until the handle 108 reaches the end of its range of travel. Indoing so, the user eventually engages the ridge 174 with the notch 124a, such that the ridge 174 clicks into the notch 124 a, which providesthe user with tactile feedback indicating that rotation of the handle108 with respect to the housing 102 has finished. As illustrated inFIGS. 9 and 10, the blades 182 at this point are fully extended. Theuser can then use the mincer 100 to mince items, such as edible items,such as herbs, vegetables, meats, etc. To mince items, the user canplace the items on a hard surface such as a cutting board in a kitchen,hold the mincer 100 by the housing 102, and press the blades 182 intothe hard surface. By moving the mincer 100 back and forth across thehard surface, the user can cause the blades 182 to rotate about the axle180 and roll as they travel across the hard surface. The blades 182 cancut the items to be minced as they move back and forth across the hardsurface, thereby mincing the items.

When the user has finished mincing, the user can retract the blades 182back into the housing 102 by holding the housing 102 in one hand,holding the handle 108 in the other hand, and rotating the handle 108about its own central longitudinal axis with respect to the housing 102in a direction opposite to that used to extend the blades 182. In doingso, the user initially overcomes a resistance provided by the engagementof the ridge 174 with the notch 124 a, and the retraction of the blades182 proceeds essentially backward with respect to the description abovefor the extension of the blades 182.

To clean the mincer 100, or to replace a blade 182 or disassemble themincer 100, the user can rotate the door 104 about its hinge with thehousing 102, to open the mincer 100 and provide access to internalcomponents thereof, as illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. Disassembly orpartial disassembly of the mincer 100, whether for cleaning, repair, orreplacement of parts, can proceed essentially backward with respect tothe description above for the assembly of the mincer 100.

The features of the mincer 100 described herein, namely, the ability touse the camming action of the mincer 100 to extend and retract theblades 182 as needed, eliminates the need to provide the mincer 100 withan additional cap or cover that can be coupled to the housing 102 toenclose a portion of the blades 182 external to the housing 102 forsafety when the mincer is not in use, such as during storage. Thus, thefeatures of the mincer 100 described herein can reduce the complexity ofthe mincer 100, and reduce or eliminate the risk that the covercomponent is broken or lost.

The various implementations described above can be combined to providefurther implementations. These and other changes can be made to theimplementations in light of the above-detailed description. In general,in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limitthe claims to the specific implementations disclosed in thespecification and the claims, but should be construed to include allpossible implementations along with the full scope of equivalents towhich such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limitedby the disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mincer, comprising: a first disk shaped plateincluding a first linear slot that extends through a thickness of thefirst disk shaped plate and radially with respect to the first diskshaped plate; a first cam plate including a first arcuate slot thatextends along a first arcuate path through the first cam plate; an axlethat extends through the first linear slot and through the first arcuateslot such that rotation of the first cam plate with respect to the firstdisk shaped plate causes the axle to move through the first linear slotand linearly with respect to the first disk shaped plate; and a circularblade mounted on the axle.
 2. The mincer of claim 1, wherein the firstarcuate path of the first cam plate extends from a first locationproximate a center of the first cam plate to a second location proximatean outer peripheral edge of the first cam plate.
 3. The mincer of claim1, wherein the first arcuate slot extends along the first arcuate pathforming a portion of a circle.
 4. The mincer of claim 3, wherein thecircle has a center offset from a center of the second plate.
 5. Themincer of claim 1, wherein the first disk shaped plate is a cylindrical.6. A mincer, comprising: an outer shell having a substantiallycylindrical shape with opposing sides spaced from and parallel to eachother and a central axis, the outer shell having a rotatable handlepositioned on one of said opposing sides, and at least one blade slotpositioned in a curved portion of the outer shell; a cam configured tofit between said opposing sides of said outer shell and having opposingsides adjacent the opposing sides of the outer shell; and at least onecircular blade rotatably mounted within the cam and aligned with the atleast one blade slot, the at least one circular blade having an axis ofrotation different than the central axis; wherein rotation of the handlein one direction causes the at least one circular blade to be radiallydisplaced relative to the central axis such that it extends outwardthrough said at least one slot, and rotation of the handle in anopposite direction radially retracts the at least one circular bladeinto the at least one slot in the outer shell preventing exposure of thesame when the mincer is not in use.
 7. The mincer of claim 6, whereinsaid outer shell further comprises a curved door assembly hingedlyconnected to the curved portion, the at least one blade slot beingpositioned in the door assembly.
 8. The mincer of claim 6, furthercomprising a mechanism integrated into the outer shell and the cam andconfigured to convert rotation motion of the rotatable handle into alinear radial displacement of the at least one circular blade withrespect to the central axis of the outer shell.
 9. The mincer of claim8, wherein the mechanism comprises: one of the opposing sides of theouter shell comprising a first plate including a first linear slot thatextends linearly through the first plate; one side of the cam adjacentthe first plate of the outer shell comprising a second plate including afirst arcuate slot that extends along a first arcuate path through thesecond plate, said second plate being in mechanical communication withthe rotatable handle; and an axle positioned on the axis of rotation ofthe at least one blade and extending through the first linear slot andthrough the first arcuate slot such that rotation of the second platewith respect to the first plate causes the axle to move through thefirst linear slot and linearly with respect to the first plate.
 10. Themincer of claim 9, further comprising: the other of the opposing sidesof the outer shell comprising a third plate including a second linearslot that extends linearly through the third plate, the third platerigidly coupled to and aligned with the first plate; and the other ofthe sides of the cam comprising a fourth plate including a secondarcuate slot that extends along a second arcuate path through the fourthplate, the fourth plate being rigidly coupled to and aligned with thesecond plate; wherein the axle extends through the second linear slotand through the second arcuate slot.
 11. A mincer, comprising: a firstplate including a first linear slot that extends linearly through thefirst plate; a first cam plate including a first arcuate slot thatextends along a first arcuate path through the first cam plate; a secondplate including a second linear slot that extends linearly through thesecond plate, the second plate rigidly coupled to and aligned with thefirst plate; and a second cam plate including a second arcuate slot thatextends along a second arcuate path through the second cam plate, thesecond cam plate rigidly coupled to and aligned with the first camplate; an axle that extends through the first linear slot, the firstarcuate slot, the second linear slot and the second arcuate slot suchthat rotation of the first cam plate with respect to the first platecauses the axle to move through the first and second linear slot andlinearly with respect to the first plate and second cam plate,respectively; and a circular blade mounted on the axle.